Cigars.ie

The Lonsdales of Christmas, Day 20 - Dunhill Malecon

Here we are, finally reaching the last day of our trip to the land of Lonsdales. Before I start talking about today’s smoke, I would like to apologize for the 2-day break. This review was meant to be posted the day before yesterday, but due to a my schedule being a little tight, I could not get the time to enjoy the last cigar, which is the rarest of all 20. But I am here now, psychologically ready, having given a well deserved rest to my palate, ready to face the unknown and magical experience of a Cuban Dunhill.

The Alfred Dunhill Cuban cigar brand was launched in 1982 and only lived for 9 years. Dunhill cigars were created to compete with the Davidoff brand, and only the best raw materials were used for their production. However, they never managed to reach the sales figures of Davidoff and in the early 90’s their production was ceased , due to disagreements between Cubatabaco and the British brand. Because of their limited production and availability, they are considered today to be more rare than the Cuban Davidoffs . I was lucky enough to find one of these during my last visit to London and without any second thoughts, I snapped it! The Malecon is one of the only 8 vitolas produced from the brand. It is a Cervante, measuring 6.5″ in length by 42 ring gauge. The cigar I will be smoking today is from 1990.

Appearance 13 / 15

Just looking at the red and orange band with the Dunhill Logo and the word “Havana” is enough to make you drool! The cigar itself has nothing to showcase when compared to newer cigars; the claro wrapper is has a fine texture, with a few veins and some wrinkles. The triple cap is rounded and perfectly applied and the bunch is firm and consistent. Sweet, floral aromas are noticeable on the foot of the cigar, while the cold draw is perfect.

Flavour & Body 25 / 25

A rich and creamy apple flavour welcomes you in the journey with this cigar. On the second draw, cedar and nutmeg also appear on the background. After an inch or so, the initial flavours settle down. The body is not as strong as I would expect, possibly mild to medium. It is sweet and very fruity; apples and cherries are on the foreground, with hints of cedar and leather. The finish is very long and the aftertaste is liquorice with a creamy texture. The flavours gradually change while smoking into the second third. The fruit flavours almost disappear, with dark chocolate and leather taking over, with some wood, grass and earth in the background. The flavours are very rich and smooth, in great depth and balance. The body is now medium and the finish is still very long and cedary. Towards the end of the second third the flavours start changing allover again! The dominant flavour is now the one of grass, while earth and bitter chocolate closely follow. The complexity of this cigar is amazing!On the last third the cigar hits its sweetspot. The body is now medium to full and the continuous change of flavours is still taking place. None of them seem to dominate, with all of them taking turns on the main stage. Earth, leather, liquorice, grass, tea, tobacco, cedar, mint, I could be going on for hours! I am smoking this cigar right to the butt, and even when my lips start getting burned, it still shows off its complexity and the smoke is surprisingly cool. Top class!

Draw & Burn 24 / 25

The Malecon lights up easily and draws perfectly from the start. The burn is razor sharp and stays like this all the way through. The cigar has good combustion and the ash is solid, dark grey in colour and reaches an inch in length before falling off, to reveal a cone shaped coal. The draw is good but the smoke volume is somehow modest on the first half, but opens up after that and the cigar delivers plenty of thick and creamy smoke.

Overall 35 / 35

This is my first Dunhill and I can honestly say I do understand what the fuss is all about. It might not look as impressive, but when you get down to business of smoking it, well, this is a completely different story… It starts being mild, sweet and so fruity you would count it towards your 5-a day. But as you smoke it, it changes dramatically. I would normally expect a cigar to change flavours on every third; this cigar would change flavours after every 2-3 draws! If the flavour profile was the only thing I would rate, this cigar would score 99 or 100 points. I had to mark it down a few points for its appearance and the modest smoke volume of the first third but this took nothing form the smoking experience. And when it comes down to that, I can boldly state that this is the best cigar I have ever had!

TOTAL 97 / 100